Brian Rua U'Cearbhain

Brian Rua O’Cearbhain

In the early 17th century, in a place known as Baile na h-Inneona in the townland of Inver (Irish: Inbhear) in the parish of Kilcommon, Erris, Co. Mayo, the story of Brian Rua Carabine, (Gaelic: Brian Rua U'Cearbhain) a man reputed to have been the prophet of Erris, was born. As a child he probably lived the life of a normal child in his rural homestead on the side of the hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was an incident which occurred when he was a young man that was said to have changed his life forever. Almost four hundred years after he lived, Brian Rua is still well-known in the tradition and folklore of Erris for his reputed unique gift of prophecy. All the prophecies of Brian Rua were made in the Irish language and are known collectively as "Tarngaireacht Brian Ruadh". Brian Rua's son was believed to have taken on the task of writing down his father's prophecies which were believed to have been in two volumes. According to Michael Timoney, a renowned Celtic scholar, Gaelic writer and folklore collector from Lahardane, Co. Mayo both parts of the written down prophecy of Brian Rua, had destroyed by his son in the 17th century when the son lost his temper with his father. In 1906, Timoney had gone in search of the prophecies of Brian Rua and found that it could only be got orally from the mouths of the people and in that way he got as much of it as he could and translated it into the English language. Other people in Erris may still have fragments of Brian Rua's prophecy and if these can be traced, they will be added to this article.

Historical Setting

In the 17th century when Brian Rua allegedly lived in this remote area of Erris, the Catholic King Charles I of England had been executed, the Irish Rebellion of 1641 had taken place and England came under the rule of the Parliamentarians led by Oliver Cromwell. His New Model Army landed in Ireland in 1649 to take over the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The Plantations of Ireland had started in the reign of Philip II of Spain and his wife Mary in the mid 16th century and continued through the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1 and were being rapidly implemented, bringing disorder and disarray for the native Irish people who were being forced to leave the country or, if they were agreeable, becoming tenants of new English landlords. From the mid to late 17th century, Cromwell's policy of “to hell or to Connaught” saw many dispossessed native people, previously owners of better quality lands in the east, granted alternative land parcels and resettled in areas like Erris, west of the River Shannon, where the English considered the bogs to be of little value to English settlers. Irish land was seized from its owners and granted to planters when the parliamentarians needed to pay their armies for their services and pay back moneylenders, known as adventurors, from English cities, who had financed their wars. In 1660, the Stuart Restoration saw Charles II of England back on the throne of England. Some of the confiscated land was returned to its former native Irish landlords, but it was never more than about one third because the new King needed the political support of many former parliamentarians in England. During the Williamite War (1689 - 91) many of the Irish Catholic landed class tried to reverse the Cromwellian settlements where they fought en masse for the Jacobites. However, they were defeated and much of the land that had been regained was again lost.

This then is the time in which Brian Rua lived and farmed and became a local hero, still remembered almost 400 years later in the remotest, financially poor but heritage and culturally rich, most beautiful part of Ireland, Erris, in North Mayo.

Inbhear tenant farmer

19th century cottage ruins at Fal Rua, Inver, Kilcommon parish, Erris, Co Mayo.

Brian Rua, named for his flame red hair, was born into a poor farming family in Baile na h-Inneona, Inbhear on the western seaboard, an area so remote from the rest of Ireland that there were no roads through the area. He grew up and scratched a living from the poor blanket bogland in North West Co. Mayo. His own cottage was built in the area of the townland known as Fail Rua. Lord Arran was his landlord.

One day when the tenants were lined up to pay their rent money he saw his elderly widowed neighbour begging the landlord for more time to pay her rent and begging him not to evict her. The landlord asked the widow if she had anybody who would go surety for her. She replied “I have only God”. “I’d like if you had someone else along with God” the landlord replied. Brian Rua stood up to the landlord and paid him the money out of his own pocket saying that he could take God as his surety. At that, the landlord felt repentant and said that himself would accept god's security but Brian Rua told him there was no need for that now as he had paid it. On her knees and from her very heart, the poor widow gave her seven thousand blessing to Brian Rua and went home. Lord Arrran's wife was a noblewoman from London and she thanked Brian Rua for his kind heart. Brian Rua told her "The all powerful Father will put twice as much in my way because I took him as my security after your husband's refusal and there's not a single tear that poor widow shed with her broken heart, that didn't fall at the feet of the King of glory in his royal seat in the glory of Heaven and either she or I will receive our reward from every tear".

The Gift of Prophecy

According to folklore which has passed down in local culture and tradition over the years, when Brian Rua was returning home later that evening he fell asleep as it was a long trek across the great mountain terrain. He put his coat under his head and fell asleep. In his dreams he had a vision and in his vision he was told to put away carefully the article he'd find in the right hand sleeve of his coat and not let woman, child or anybody else catch sight of it except himself.

When he awoke he found a sparkling jewel in the right sleeve of his coat. The jewel revealed to Brian Rua what was going to happen from that day on and he became blessed with the gift of prophecy. "All the affairs of Ireland - all that was to be from that day to the end of the world - became totally understandable to him, was printed on the sparkling jewel. Every time he looked at it he got knowledge of the good and evil that was to come upon the world" (Cronin 2000).

He made many prophecies which have been passed down by word of mouth and in the local culture and folklore through the generations ever since. One was called Scéal í mBarr Bataí. Brian Rua prophecised that messages would be sent on the tops of poles more quickly than a hawk would fly from Dublin to Blacksod Bay. Local people believe that his prophecy has come true with the advent of the telephone and internet.

Some of his Prophecies were collected and documented by Michael Timoney in 1906.

These are some excerpts:-

• The first prophecy Brian made was that there would be a big house on every hill; a bridge on every stream, boots on every ragged person and children would be speaking English.

• Half penny candles would be lighting the whole of Ireland. He said children would be wearing hats and "a time will come when young women will be without shame"

• Brian Rua predicted that "the day would come when people would be imprisoned without fault or reason and that it would be a prudent man who would emigrate, that the year of gold would come followed by the year of sorrow, one or two short years after and its few will be alive afterwards" [1][2]

• He said that the day would come when the heather will not bloom and that a man would be born in Munster and it would be better for Ireland if he were never born.

• He said people would get gray younger and that a day would come when a man would deny the cow at his own door; two other things would come about, the container would be dearer than the goods it contained; roads would have walls and crossroads would have gates to keep out trespassers.

• He said that a day would come when it would be a friendly son who would give him father a bite to eat and worse still, the produce of the earth would turn black.

• He said that "a bridge would be erected over the river at Bellacorick that would never be finished". Michael Timoney, who wrote down bits of Brian Rua's prophecies in 1906 notes that one stone is still missing and it has been like that since it was built. No builder has the courage to put that stone in place - because there is a danger attached.

• He said a day would come when the stacks of corn would turn to chaff and a descendant of the Jackson family would light every house from Crossmolina to the Windy Gap , that there would be a road through every marshland and arches on the roadways.

As curiously candle-like street lights have just recently been erected in Inver village, the first street lighting the village has had, and in the last few years several local residents have been imprisoned 'without fault or reason' and Ireland may appear to have had its 'year of gold' and its 'year of sorrow' many local people fear anxiously that the next part of Brian Rua U'Cearbhain's prediction may come true if the Corrib gas project were ever to be allowed to proceed.

The Dismasted Ship

The view to Inver Bay (inlet of Broadhaven Bay) from Fal Rua

This tale relates that Brian Rua decided he would go to a fair to buy some cattle. His wife queried where he thought he was going to get the money to buy cattle but Brian set off after breakfast. There was an Ulsterman by the name of Conway at the fair who have a big drove of cattle he couldn't sell and he asked Brian to buy them. Brian Rua told the man he had no money. Conway needed to get rid of his cattle badly and he offered them to Brian Rua on credit. Ht took the cattle home with him and arranged for Conway to visit him to collect his money at a later date which they arranged at the fair. Some time later on the date appointed, the Ulsterman arrived to Brian's house at Fail Rua. Brian extended him a cordial welcome and gave him a good dinner. Brian's wife was worried. She asked her husband, "What are you going to do now, you haven't got a penny to give this man?". Conway told Brian that he had come a very long way and he thought that Brian would have had the price of the cattle as they had agreed. Brian said "Truthfully, I haven't got it. May God send it to me". The Ulsterman became a bit disgruntled, he thought Brian was making fun of him. Brian told him "Go to bed my honest man, your money is at this moment north of Scotland". The man went to his bed, disappointed and dismayed because he thought his long journey had been wasted.

Before daybreak, Brian went his bed. He asked "Are you asleep up there my good fellow?" "I'm not asleep now" was the reply. Brian told him "Get up and go out to the door and look out to sea, see if there's anything at all coming in on it"

There was a full moon outside and as the dealer stood in the doorway he could see see something like a bird away out from him. Brian told him "Keep looking at it 'til you see where it is going". "It's coming towards the harbour", said the dealer, "It's like a dismasted ship".

"Is it far from the shore?" asked Brian

"Its making its way for it, beside the beach" said the dealer.

The dismasted ship came into the harbour, in the middle of the night, without any steering, close to Brian's house, like a ship under a magic spell.

"We'll have plenty of money after a while" said Brian. "Let us be going down, the price of your bullock's are in that dismasted ship". They went down to the beach and rolled up the legs of their trousers to their knees and waded out to meet the ship.

Brian found a large, long, wide, deep box on board with the key stuck into the key-hole. He turned the key and opened the box. It was full to the brim of gold guineas. He counted out the price of the bullocks to the Ulsterman. They left the ship and the ship sailed out the sea again.

"You stupid man" said Conway to Brian Rua, "Why did you do that, since it came your way, why did you not take the lot?" "That's all that was coming to me and I took what I needed out of it" said Brian. "It has to go to five other people yet".

The Ulsterman went home well satisfied but while he was in Brian Rua's house he had fallen in love with Brian's daughter, Rosie Ruadh, and she with him. Later the couple married and the wedding feast lasted for a week. Brian Rua told him that a line of priests would be descended from his lineage yet. Brian was correct as they had a large family, many of who became priests and they included Fr. Michael Conway, Bishop Hugh Conway, Fr. Patrick Malone and Fr. John Jordan all of whom served some time in Erris parishes. They had a daughter too, so beautiful that people called her "Aile na Gréine! (Beauty of the Sun). She married an O'Donnell man and they also had many children, now widepread throughout the country.

(In these years many ships passed through these waters - Spanish Armada and many foreign ships were shipwrecked and plundered by “pirates” in the Broadhaven Bay area when they tried to shelter from storms out at sea - many local Gaelic placenames bear out the local piratical traditions.)[3]. [4] In relation to the Musical Bridge at Bellacorick, he made the prophecy that the last stone would never be laid and.....it never has!

It is told that in 1678, a priest in Kilcommon Parish, Fr. Paul Higgins, warned people in the area not to heed Brian’s prophecies because he was a madman. Brian Rua waited outside the Church and told the people that Fr. Paul Higgins would be a Minister of the Protestant religion within four weeks. It happened as Brian Rua said it would although as Brian Rua was quite a frequent traveller to Killala where the Protestant bishop lived, it is possible that he may have seen that Fr. Higgins's visits to the bishop's house were becoming more frequent.

Brian Rua became a local hero and from that day on his prophecies were believed by the people and he became well known across the county.

Recording the prophecies

Brian Rua and his wife had a son also. When his father became well known across the county the son accompanied his father and took a book with him. He began to write down everything Brian was saying. Brian told his son "There will be roads of meal in the place where you are standing, later on, on which coaches and cars will run and a message will go on top of a stick faster than a hawk in flight from Dublin to Blacksod Bay" The son did not understand his conversation and he flung the book of writing into the quagmire saying "I have no sense to be giving you any heed"

Like most sons and father's the quarrel was forgiven and some time later the son informed Brian that he was about to build a new house. "Don't start" said his father "'til I show you the place to start". Father and son took a spade with them. "Start here" said Brian. When the son had cleared to the first corner he found a box-shaped vessel. When it was opened it contained golden guineas. His father said "Go around with the sun to the other corner and perhaps that corner is as good as the other". He found another corner full of gold just the same as the first one. On the third and fourth corners, the same thing happened. There was no limit to his wealth then, he had no appreciation of boots of untanned leather but got himself a pair of high boots of Spanish leather.

A short while later Brian told his wife "your son will marry a noblewoman. He will not be satisfied with a countrywoman. They will only be married a short time when she will start to belittle him, because he is not of the same noble blood as herself." His parents tried to influence his choice of wife but he did not take their advice. He thought the girls in the neighbourhood were not good enough and he took an interest in proud minded ladies. Shortly after marrying his aristocratic lady she began to despise him and frequently reminded him that he was not of the same honourable blood as herself. Because of her sharp tongue he left her until her anger subsided and returned home to his father. Brian Rua was delighted because he wanted his son to carry on writing down his prophecies so they would be there after his death. But, his son's wife's pride left her and she was more than glad to see him coming back to her.

The Achill Railway Line

Another well-known prophecy concerns the ill-fated Achill railway station Line, running from Westport to Achill Sound, which was started in 1894 with high expectations for the new train to carry goods, tourists, researchers and businessmen to the poor depopulated areas of the west and bring economic boom to the area The train line ran through many tunnels and across the nine-arch Newport, County Mayo Viaduct, through Mulranny where it ran along the coast until it reached Achill Sound. However, due to never being economically viable, it was decided to end the railway and the last train was scheduled to run in 1937.

The nine-arch Newport viaduct

Almost three hundred years previously, Brian Rua had prophecised that “the day will come when there will be iron wheels on fire carriages from the south and the north”, “blowing smoke and fire which on their first and last journeys will carry corpses”.

Not only did he foresee the advent of steam trains which were not invented until the early 19th century but he also predicted the Achill tragedies.

The first time the train ran in 1894 it carried the corpses from an incident known as the Clew Bay Drownings. A ship with day labourers bound for Scotland to pick “tatties” (tattie hokers) capsized in Clew Bay near Westport taking the lives of 32 young people from Achill Island. They were taken home to be buried on the first train to run on the new line.[5]

By 1937 the railway was not turning a profit and after 43 loss-making years, it was taken out of service. Shortly after the railway closed, there was a tragedy in Kirkintilloch, Scotland when ten “tattie hokers” from Achill were killed in a fire in temporary accommodation, a so-called “bothy”. Although the train line was officially closed it was put back into service one last time to bring the burned remains of the Kirkintilloch Burning Disaster home to Achill to be buried.

The Old Achill Railway Line

The Death of Brian Rua

One day Brian saw that his own death was imminent. At the time he was not ill and there was no sign of impending death. His family thought he was doting. He asked his son to go and fetch the priest for him. He knew the priest was on the Inishkea islands and he knew he had time for him to get back before he died. A horserider was dispatched to the Hill of Tearman on the bottom of the Mullet Peninsula to light a fire on the top of the hill so that the priest would know he was wanted on the mainland. The priest came from the island and got his horse. There were no roads on the way to Inver and it was a long way through the bogs. Several times the priest's horse slipped and its horseshoe came off. When the priest was passing the gable of the house in Inver village where the strand and seashore met, his horse slipped again and the priest was thrown out of the saddle and almost broke his neck. He got back on his horse and carried on to Brian Rua's house. Brian Rua met him at the door and the priest was more than a little put out when he saw Brian sitting up, talking and chatting to those gathered at the house.

"Why did you send for me" said the priest "and no sickness on you?" Brian replied "Make a drink for yourself and bless it. You were lucky I kept in touch with you tonight or you were in a predicament". Brian then told the priest all the times his horse had slipped on the way and where the horse had lost its shoe.

Brian then told the priest "As soon as you bless your drink, go out to the house down there where a crowd of women are spinning and tell the young girl who is sitting at the door carding to prepare herself so that you can anoint her for she will be dead before me" The priest didn't say anything but he left the house and went to the young girl and told her to prepare herself for the last rites. As soon as she was anointed she dropped dead on the spot.

Brian's son was writing down his words and an old woman came into the house. Brian's son began to reprove her. "Let her be" said Brian "some of your own members will be buried seven year's before you". The son was so mad with Brian that he threw what he was writing into the fire. When the priest returned to the house he told the people gathered there that they were very mistaken not to have given credence to Brian Rua's talk and to have taken it down on paper, for then all the affairs of Ireland would have been clearly understood by them. (In later years, Brian's son lost a finger off his hand and it was buried in the ground - it is not recorded if he died seven years afterwards)

"Now" said Brian to the priest "I'm ready for your presence". The priest gave him the last rites. As soon as this was done Brian Rua lay back and died. [Michael Timoney - renowned Gaelic scholar and writer 1906 - translated from the Gaelic]

References

• Achill Railway: http://www.realizedvision.com/railways.php
• Cronin, Phil, 'Traditional Cures and Gifted People. With a translation of Red Brian Carabine's Prophecy' (2000) Crossmolina
• Mayo County Library:- http://www.mayolibrary.ie/en/LocalStudies
• McDonald T. Achill Island. Archaeology-History-Folklore (1997) Longford
• Noone, Fr. Sean. Where the Sun Sets (1991) Erris
• Nolan R. Within the Mullet (2001) Kildare
• Timoney, Michael.Tarngaireacht Brian Ruadh 1906 Lahardane